Space Race: There Are Dollar Signs on the Moon

â€œItâ€™s probably the biggest wealth creation opportunity in modern history,â€ said Barney Pell, a former NASA computer scientist turned entrepreneur and now a co-founder of Moon Express. While Moon Express might initially make money by sending small payloads, the big fortune would come from bringing back platinum and other rare metals, Dr. Pell said.

â€œLong term, the market is massive, no doubt,â€ he said. â€œThis is not a question of if. Itâ€™s a question of who and when. We hope itâ€™s us and soon.â€